Refrigerator.



W. T. NIGHOLLS.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1909.

937,635, Patented Oct. 19,1909.

WITNESSES WWW @m&w@msu.

W. T. NIGHOLLS.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 9, 1909.

PatentedOct. 19, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 WILLIAM '1. NICHOLLS, OF WELLSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

Application filed March 9, 1909. Serial No. 482,246.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. NIoHoLLs, of "Wellsburg, Brooke county,West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line IIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is asection on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionshowing one corner portion of the refrigerator on a larger scale; Fig. 5is a horizontal section through one of the corners, also on a largerscale; and Fig. 6 is a detail plan View of a portion of the frame.

My invention has relation to refrigerators, and is designed to provide arefrigerator having its inner and outer walls formed of glass, andwherein the use of wood is wholly eleminated; also to provide arefrigerator of this character which will be thoroughly sanitary, inwhich there will be no screws, bolts, or other fastenings to work loose,and which can be constructed at a comparatively low cost. To this end myinvention consists in the novel construction of the refrigeratorhereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the appendedclaims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown thepreferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 2 designates the innerglass tile lining of the refrigerator structure, and 3 the outer tilecovering. In the construction of the refrigerator, I make a base frameof the form shown in Fig. 6, consisting of the four metal strips 4mitered together at their meeting ends and secured at the corners bymeans of the gusset plates 5 riveted thereto, these plates beingpreferably provided with the inner corner extensions 6, which may beutilized as a support for the caster bearings The base strips 4 arepreferably provided with the vertically upwardly projecting flanges 7 attheir inner edges. Upon this frame, T place a series of suitably spacedchannel or I-beam members 8 as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, and securethereto in any suitable manner an inner and outer metallic lathing 9 ofany suitable character, such as expanded metal. The space inclosed bythe lathing may be filled as indicated at 10 with mineral wool, cork, orany other suitable heat-insulating material. I then apply to the lathingon both sides a coating 11 of cement, which forms a bed for the glasstiles forming the inner and outer surfaces of the structure. These tilesare preferably of a form having undercut projections 12 on their innersurfaces, which are embedded in the cement, and which secure the tilesfirmly in place.

The floor of the refrigerator structure is preferably formed by a baseplate 13 supported on the base frame 4, and forming a support for acement bed 14 in which are set the fioor tiles 15. The interior frameformed by the members 8 and by the metallic lathing can be suitablyreinforced at the corners, as by means of the angles 16 (see Fig. 5).

17 designates the usual doors for giving access to the interior of therefrigerator. The body of each of these doors is constructed in the samemanner as the wall structure of the refrigerator, but each door body 1ssurrounded by a metallic frame .18, which fits Within a correspondingframe 19 set into the wall structure.

. The frames 18 and 19 are preferably provided with the interfittingoffsets or shoulders 20, which insure close seating of the doors whenclosed. These frames 18 and 19 may also be provided with the usual doorfixtures, which, with the exception of the hinges, are not shown in thedrawings.

The top of the structure is shown as formed in the same manner as theside walls, except that the members 8 in the side walls are shown as ofchannel form, while the corresponding members in the top wall arepreferably of I-beam form, since these memhere are required to sustainthe weight of the top wall. The top of the structure may be formed witha molding 21, as shown, since the glass tiles employed, together withthe cement, may be molded to any desired form.

22 designate suitable shelfsupporting members. These can be secured tothe frame members 8 or to the reinforcing angles 10, and the cementplaced around them, their inner ends projecting through the inner tilessufliciently to form shelf-supports. These supporting devices can be soarranged as to come between the joints of the tiles as shown in Fig. 3.

The construction described forms a very strong and secure construction,in which wood is entirely eliminated, and which can be manufactured at acomparatively low cost. The body of the structure consists mainly ofcement, which permanently secures the interior and exterior tiles, andwhich, with the metallic lathing and frame members, constitutes a rigidwall structure. The only metal which is exposed at the exterior of thestructure is that at the door frames and doors, and the base frame.There is, therefore, very little metal surface to become tarnished or tokeep clean. It will also be noted that theuse of securing screws orbolts for holding the parts of the structure together is entirelyeliminated.

It will be obvious that various changes can be made in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of the parts. Thus, the inner metallicframe can be constructed in various ways; any suitable form of metalliclathing may be employed; and any desired character of glass tiles may beused.

What I claim is 1. In a refrigerator, a wall structure comprisingseparated metal supports forming a skeleton frame, inclosing anunobstructed space, a filling of non-heat-conducting material in saidspace metallic lathing secured directly to both sides of the skeletonframe, a layer of cement applied to the metallic lathin and tiles set inboth the inner and outer Iayers of cement and forming the interior andexterior surfaces of the structure; substantially as described.

2. A refrigerator, comprising a bottom wall, consisting of an open baseframe, 'a base plate supported thereby, a layer of cement on said plate,and tiles set in the cement, side and end walls consisting each ofspaced upright supports resting on the base frame, metallic lathingsecured directly to said supports on both sides, inner and outer layersof cement applied to the lathing, tiles set in said cement and formingboth the inner and outer surfaces of said walls, and a top Wall ofsimilar structure to the side and end walls; substantially as described.

3. In a refrigerator, a wall structure comprising a supporting framecomposed of parallel spaced metalv pieces, metal lathing secureddirectly to each side of said supports, a fillin and non-heat-conductingmaterial confine between the lathing, and tiles supported from thelathing and forming the interior and exterior surfaces of the structure;substantially as described.

4. In a refrigerator, a Wall structure comprising a supporting framecomposed of parallel spaced metal pieces, metal lathing secured directlyto each side of said supports, a filling of non-heat-conducting materialconfined between the lathing, and tiles sup ported from the lathin andforming the interior and exterior surfiaces of the structure, saidstructure having door openings therethrough, a fixed metallic frameseated in and surrounding the openings, and a door having a metal framearranged to fit within the fixed frame, and a body portion of similarconstruction to that of the fixed portion of the wall; substantially asdescribed.

5. In a refrigerator, a wall structure, comprising an inner metallicskeleton frame, inner and outer layers of cement applied to said frame,inner and outer tile coverings secured by the cement, andshelf-supporting members carried by the metallic frame and projectingthrough the inner layer of cement and the inner tile-covering at thejoints between adjacent tiles; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. WILLIAM T. NICHOLLS.

Witnesses:

J. F. CREE,

F. R. ANDERSON, MAUDE W. DOUGLASS.

